


We're Streaming

by FromFanToStan



Category: One Direction (Band), zayn malik - Fandom
Genre: Businessman Harry Styles, M/M, PWP, Post-Canon, Sexy Zayn Malik, Smut, Zayn at the Farm AU, the streaming numbers fic no one wanted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 12:36:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21208640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FromFanToStan/pseuds/FromFanToStan
Summary: Harry’s been coming out to the farm for months now. It’s not enough, but it never was with Harry. It’s something you just accept with him, Zayn thinks. It gets to everyone, but Zayn’s in a better position than most to tolerate it. He’s busy, and he doesn’t travel in the same world any more. He doesn’t ask Harry any questions, and up to now Harry hasn’t asked him any. That seemed like a good system.Ever since Harry released "Lights Up" Zayn's Spotify ranking has been going up, and then my Zarry brain said, hey what if it's on PURPOSE. This is the result. Sorry/not sorry.





	We're Streaming

They’re lying on their backs in bed, naked, and sated for the moment. Harry has one of Zayn’s hands in both of his, and he’s playing with it. First he folds the fingers down and thumb in so that Zayn is flipping him off. Then he folds the fingers and thumb in, leaving the forefinger out to shake at himself. This amuses Harry for several minutes.

Zayn is too blissed out to do anything but let Harry use his hand as a toy. Harry folds his three fingers in, leaving the thumb and forefinger out to hold an imaginary blunt, which Harry then holds up to his own lips to inhale deeply. He does this several times, very intently, holding his breath after each inhale. Finally he looks at Zayn’s hand, shakes it a few times, and takes his forefinger, middle finger, and ring finger into his mouth. He starts sucking on the fingers and doing that thing with his tongue that he does with Zayn’s dick. Even though Zayn was sated, not five minutes ago, he thinks,  _ oh, ok, maybe, sure, why not. _ Such is the power of Harry’s mouth.

It doesn’t last. Harry pops Zayn’s fingers out of his mouth to ask abruptly, “Hey, how are you making your money these days?”

“What? Why are you asking me that, Harry? Do the thing with your tongue again. I can’t believe you were sucking my fingers like that and stopped to ask about money.”

But Harry can be persistent. “No, really, Zayn. How are you making your money? You don’t do live performances, so you’re not getting brand deals anymore. You didn’t have a songwriting credit on most of the band’s songs. Did you keep your royalties for those?”

Zayn sighs. Apparently they are having this conversation. “I kept a percentage of my royalties. I get a check from Penshoppe every now and then if they use one of my images. RCA is handling all my royalties from my own music. I get a little check from my YouTube cover videos, but I’m splitting those. Why, Harry? What do you care about how I get my money?”

Harry’s been coming out to the farm for months now. It’s not enough, but it never was with Harry. It’s something you just accept with him, Zayn thinks. It gets to everyone, but Zayn’s in a better position than most to tolerate it. He’s busy, and he doesn’t travel in the same world any more. He doesn’t ask Harry any questions, and up to now Harry hasn’t asked him any. That seemed like a good system.

Harry shifts over to his side facing Zayn. “I just think you’re not thinking about the future. Aren’t you helping your family?”

“You know I am.”

“And doesn’t the farm take a lot of money? And it’s not giving anything back yet?”

“Babe, it’s not your worry. So don’t worry about it.” Zayn reaches out for him, rubs his pretty nipples until they’re hard, and then watches as Harry gets hard again. He loves to watch how his dick just fills up like it’s being inflated slowly. It’s kind of like how Harry talks, just syrupy and slow and sexy. He starts moving his head downward, but Harry stops him.

“ _ Zayn _ . Are you taking a loss every month? You are, aren’t you?”

Zayn does not understand why his finances are suddenly so interesting to Harry. Wait.

“I’m not doing a song with you. You know I don’t want to. I don’t want any part of that world. RCA is happy not having to do anything and getting all that streaming income.”

“Exactly. They’re getting all your money.”

Zayn gives up and falls back on the pillow. It’s kind of warm in the room. What he gets for letting Harry get him worked up again. And for talking about money. They don’t talk about money. They don’t talk about anything. Harry comes out when he can. He stays for as long as he can. Zayn misses him when he’s not around and enjoys when he is. End of story.

Not the end of the story. “Ok, look. I know you don’t want to do a song with me, even though you know that I would do a song with you in a heartbeat.”

“That’s sweet, babe. It is. But it would cause a shitstorm of publicity, and I don’t want it.”

“I know,” Harry says patiently. “I know that this”--he gestures between them--‘is as good as it’s going to get, and I’m fine with it, really. But I’ve been working on a new song. It sounds like you. I couldn’t help it. I’ve been with you so much, and I’ve been listening to your music. It just came out this way.”

Zayn is staring at the ceiling, at the water spot that he’s pretty sure has grown. The farmhouse needs a new roof. Gigi didn’t do shit when she owned this place, just had someone out to take care of the horses. “So what are you saying, Harry Styles? Are you going to give me this song?”

“No. I’m going to put it on my album. And I’m going to make a video for it that’s going to be really hot. Jeff says that it’s going to get me into the streaming market in a big way.”

“I thought you wanted to be a rock artist.”

“I do. But it’s one song. I would have done it as a one-off, kind of how you did Dusk Till Dawn, but Jeff says that it’ll be smarter to put it on the album, and add a couple of more poppy, R&B influenced songs to go with them. He says they’ll all be singles, so even if the album doesn’t do that well it won’t matter because the singles will make up for it.”

“So, Sony wants their money?”

“Yeah. Sony wants their money. They thought I was going to be Beyonce, but I’m just, like, Coldplay or something.” Harry shrugs, and Zayn can’t resist kissing him.

“Ah, babe, I don’t want that world. It sounds pants. Really.”

“I know, Zayn. You’ve told me hundreds of times.” Harry is about to move into a pout. He’s not looking at Zayn, and his dick is soft again. 

“I’m sorry, babe. What does any of this have to do with me?”

“Don’t you have a collab coming out? With Saed? You played it for me.”

“Yeah, I do. It’s just a little something. I won’t make much money on it. But it’s a little bop, and it was fun to mess with it.”

“When?”

“I dunno, like, first of October?”

“That’s what I told Jeff. I’ve already shot my music video, and I’m going to release my song on the 11th.” Harry looks very pleased with himself, so much that he starts nuzzling at Zayn’s neck, like he really is the cat who got the cream.

“Ok, Harry. But what does this have to do with me?” Zayn says, only vaguely interested now that Harry is nuzzling his neck and breathing into his ear, reaching a tongue tip to lick at Zayn’s ear lobe, and  _ oh _ , this feels so good. Harry stops, though. That is the game they’re playing this morning, and Zayn isn’t a fan.

“I’m going to get your little bop on a few playlists, and then when I go up you’re going to go up too, on the streaming services.”

“Aw, babe, look at you, worrying about me and trying to help. That’s so sweet!”

Harry looks at him suspiciously. “Are you taking the piss?”

“No, babe. It’s really sweet that you’re worried. But I don’t see what your massive pop single is going to do for my little remix. They don’t have anything to do with each other.”

Harry looks smug. “Just wait.”

  
  


A month later, Harry’s back. He’s been to Nashville. His song is out, and his album will be, too. They’re laying on their backs again, temporarily sated. Zayn notices that the water spot has gotten bigger since the fall rains started. He’s going to have to do something about the roof, patch it at least.

“So what’s your ranking, Zayn?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What is your Global. Monthly. Listener. Ranking. Jesus, Zayn. You need a business manager so bad!”

“I don’t know, Harry. I take care of the animals, and I take care of my fields, and I write songs and send them to Alex, and that’s pretty much it.”

“Zayn! Are you telling me that you don’t know what your monthly streaming numbers are?”

Harry is tousled; his hair has gotten longer, and it’s standing up all over his head. His lips are redder than usual from biting them while Zayn fucked him. He looks like an angry kitten. It’s just so cute. No wonder no one can resist him. Zayn takes pity on him.

“Yeah, ok, I know. I’m at #57.”

“And where were you when I released ‘Lights Up?’”

“I don’t know, Haz. Where was I?” Zayn is laughing at him now, grabbing at his waist, and pulling on his nipples. He wants Harry to fuck him this time. It’s just fair play, and it’s never enough to go once.

“You bastard, you know where you were!”

“No, babe, really I don’t. Where was I?”

“YOU WERE #82. 82, ZAYN.”

“Mmmm. Where’s the lube? I’m going to get myself ready, and you’re going to watch me, ok, babe?”

“Damn it! What did I tell you would happen, Zayn Malik? What did I tell you?” He’s already watching avidly as Zayn spreads the lube over his two fingers and then teases his hole with the moisture.

“You said you were going to get me on some playlists, and that it was going to help somehow. I dunno, did you do that?” He grins at Harry, noticing his dick has begun to plump up in spite of himself. “Do you want to talk about monthly listeners, or do you want to fuck?” He watches Harry watch him slide two fingers in and out of his hole, and he moans a little, for effect. His own dick is hard now, watching Harry's inflate slowly. God, he can never get enough of this.

“Well, obviously I want to do both.”

“Ok, babe. As soon as you fuck me, we can talk about it as much as you like.”

And they do. Zayn gets what he wants, which is for Harry to fill him up and make him come, and Harry gets what he wants, which is what Zayn wants and for Zayn to admit that Harry has helped him. It’s a funny relationship, but it works for them. Also, Zayn gets his roof fixed, but he never says thank you, because that would just encourage Harry. Can’t have that. He’s bad enough already.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope I've gotten this out of my system. Forgive any errors, especially about the music business.


End file.
